The theme of team chemistry was a big talking point of the NBA season. Kendrick Perkins slammed the lack of it in the Lakers. The likes of Vernon Maxwell feared Kevin Durant’s burner page destroyed it for the Rockets. But none of that for the Golden State Warriors. In a season defined by injuries and the Kuminga saga, the Warriors core is in need of a tactical adjustment. But instead of the film room, Draymond Green gave the team a reset at the dinner table.

With their season on the line in tonight’s Play-In Tournament matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors opted for a night of relaxation and unity. Steve Kerr revealed their first night in Inglewood was not spent only at practice. Draymond Green hosted the entire roster and coaching staff at his Los Angeles home on Tuesday night, providing a rare moment of levity before the win-or-go-home stakes of the Intuit Dome.

“Everybody loves coming to LA. We all went over to Draymond’s house last night for dinner,” Kerr told Willard and Dibs on 95.7 The Game. “He hosted the whole team and coaching staff which was awesome. Some good bonding.”

Green has just been upgraded to available for the Clippers game after a back injury. Though there’s speculation he’d be on a minutes restriction like Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford.

The gesture comes at a critical juncture for a Warriors team that has spent much of the 2025-26 season struggling with injury-forced lineup changes. Curry had missed 27 games since January 30 and only get some reconditioning in the last week of the season. He also didn’t get to play alongside his younger brother, Seth, for the first time until the last week.

During his absence, the team re-adjusted without Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga was traded, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford has been in and out of the lineup, Moses Moody got hurt, and Kerr has used every backup he had on the roster sheet.

Through most of it, Green’s been an emotional lightning rod. That included sideline arguments with Steve Kerr, supporting Moody when he got hurt, barking at the Kings, and even getting annoyed at their impending Play-In fight.

Draymond Green’s reset the team for the Play-In Tournament

The Warriors enter tonight’s contest as the No. 10 seed, following a 37–45 regular season that tested the patience of both the fans and the front office. The Dubs have not secured a direct playoff berth in seven seasons, a situation that annoyed Draymond Green.

“I’m sick of the play-in [tournament],” Green said. “It seems like we’re a play-in magnet. It sucks.” That was few weeks away from when they were fighting for the sixth seed. With mounting injuries, they barely secured the 10th seed which again prompted another rant from him.

Just when the Warriors faithful feared Dray had given up on the Play-Ins, Kerr had to clarify after the team practice that the former DPOY has refound his motivation. “That was last week,” Kerr explained. “Draymond’s very excited. I can tell you just from going through our scouting report, he was extremely engaged.”

Clearly there’s been in a shift in the Warriors’ postseason prep. Green’s gone from feeling the rigors of another Play-In to easing the mental fatigue of a team that’s not had enough chance to be complete this season.

The timing is particularly poignant given the Clippers’ recent dominance over Golden State, including a 115–110 victory on April 12. The frustration is also mutual on LA’s end. The Warriors need two road wins to secure the final no.8 seed. As the Warriors head into the Intuit Dome tonight, the focus remains on whether “some good bonding” can translate into the defensive cohesion required to stop the Clippers’ star-heavy rotation.